Lets see what Barrett has. Who knows, he could come out and win us a conference title. May be a bit of a stretch, but who the hell thought Craig Krenzel would win a national title? Defense is still nasty as hell, offense is still loaded with weapons, gotta support JT and give him some confidence to get the ball to his playmakers and win some ball games.

If the O-line plays well, JT will grow into that position (there will be some bumps in the road).

I am choosing to focus on the positive. I absolutely loved watching Brax do his thing for 3 years and thank him for all the great games I got to see because of him. But, for whatever reason, he was never a consistent passer. I think JT may be better at that, at least touch intermediate passes. With all the weapons on offense, all he will have to do is manage the game if the O-line plays well (and it helps having the best O-line coach in the country).

And of course, best wishes go out to Braxton. Buckeye Nation will always be behind you dude. Heal, and heal quickly...

Spot on. Its funny, but everyone loved how Kenny G came in and ran things and when I hear Herman talk about JT this is what I see. A QB who makes the offense around him run better...We have the weapons, we don't need an all world athlete at qb just someone who can make good reads and great decisions with decent arm and athleticism...

You don’t come to tOSU to sit the bench, you are there to fight for a spot to play, Brax is down, that is the hand we have been dealt (still pending word from Urb of course) do we fold and just give up? Did the rest of the team stop caring about the season? Was J.T. recruited and never expected to play? Hell No!

We have no idea what the season will bring, this will not be the last injury this team faces, but when I hear people say they are crying over this and our season is lost it really pisses me off, these guys are busting their asses on a day to day basis and are they throwing the towel in? With the players we have on offense who’s to say that we are done? I’m not saying it’s going to be smooth or easy but looking at the last 2 seasons I have seen RS Freshman walk away with the Heisman and one of them won the NC. Again not saying it happens hear but I can guarantee you that J.T. didn’t come to tOSU to hold a clip board, if it can happen at other places with solid coaching staffs why can’t it happen here with a great coaching staff?”

Bluto: [standing up] HEY!! What's this lying around shit?!
Stork: Well, what the hell we s'posed to do, you moron?!
D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it. He's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough . . . the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go! C'mon! [He runs out of the room screaming but then returns.]
Bluto: What the fuck happened to the Delta I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh?! This could be the greatest night of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst! "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Bluto, we might get in trouble." Well, JUST KISS MY ASS FROM NOW ON!!! Not me! I'm not gonna take this! Wormer, he's a dead man! Marmalard, DEAD! Niedermeyer—
Otter: Dead! Bluto's right. Psychotic, but absolutely right. [Otter stands up.] We gotta take these bastards. Now, we could fight 'em with conventional weapons. That could take years and cost millions of lives. Oh no. No, in this case, I think we have to go all out. I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part.
Bluto: And we're just the guys to do it.
[Boon and D-Day stand.]
Boon: Let's do it.
Bluto: Let's do it!
[Everybody cheers and starts running out of the room, with Bluto still standing there.]
Bluto: Go! Go! Go! Go! Go!
[Bluto runs out with them.]

Dude, you have me ready to run through a wall! Yeah, we need to remember that football is the ultimate team game. Braxton is going to be impossible to replace - JT or Cardale don't need to be him, they just need to be JT & Cardale.

I tell you one thing. Chris Ash can make us ALL feel a lot better if that defense gets fixed. A good D can buy time for JT to shore up any deficiencies and inexperience. Here's to hoping Coach Ash is as advertised.

"Sherman ran an option play right through the south" - Greatest Civil War analogy EVER.

There is a whole lotta (entire) season left lets see how the last days of camp end up and walk into Baltimore and start the season with a banger and shut the critics up. They're gonna know who J.T. Barrett and the Ohio State Buckeyes are.

"If we worked half as hard as our band, we'd be champions." - Woody Hayes

optimism is great, god knows im trying to hang on to the last of mine. reality is we just swapped a heisman front runner for a kid that has never thrown a meaningful pass and in his spring game looked worse than the guy that uttered the phrase "we aint come here to play school".

anyone holding out hopes for a title run better prepare for a huge reality check cuz smooth jazz aint walkin through that door.

Anyone that makes there entire opinion of a player, based off of the SPRING scrimmage----is a fool. They will also be the ones on here telling everyone 'I knew Barrette would light it up, knew it all along.'

I like the idea of braxton red shirting. He is no where near ready for the nfl, plus no team will be willing to take a risk on him after and injury like this. It would be good for him to be able to mentor and coach the young quarterbacks in our stable and have plenty of time to rehab this injury.

And given his history, who's going to take a risk on him if he comes back and gets hurt again? I get your point, but Braxton needs to do what's best for him and his family. He's done more than enough in my eyes to cement himself as a legend in school history.

So no, the season is not lost. This is still The Ohio State University football team. There is still an embarrassment of riches. Yes, every game just got tougher. But we will still have, at the very least, a puncher's chance in every single game. And this team now has a chip on it's...gulp...shoulder.

While this is an unpopular comment, I think you may have a bit of a point.

I DO think xBrax has NFL talent as a QB (or a plethora of other positions)... but, his shoulder dislocated throwing the football (not even getting hit). He WILL dislocate his shoulder again. I think we will learn that his shoulder instability is chronic, which means his shoulder will (likely) continue to dislocate and/or a have a feeling of instability and considering that the first arthroscopy was unable to fully repair his shoulder, I wouldnt be optimistic that a second one will. Especially considering he will, as a QB, continue to add stress to his shoulder (by throwing) I dont see how his shoulder can ever be '100%' again.

However, he is a great great great athlete that could play any number of positions including WR or RB, possibly even DB (?) in the NFL. Lets hope that some NFL team decides to take a great human being in xBrax next draft. Because, lets be honest... what NFL team is going to risk taking him as a QB (in the '15 draft, if he decides to go) after two repeated shoulder injuries which indicate a chronic issue?

That's IF it is chronic. Drew Brees recovered from a dislocated shoulder and a torn labrum undergoing surgery by Dr. Andrews. Honestly I think they just rushed him back a little bit, but now he'll have time to completely rehab & be ready by springtime.

Between goals and achievement is discipline and consistency. That fire you have inside to do whatever you love is placed there by God. Now go claim it. ~ Denzel Washington

The tools at JT's disposal are much better than what Braxton started with. It's helpful that JT/Cardale have gotten a lot of reps with the first stringers in the spring and fall. This team will exceed expectations.

Alcohol will not solve any of your problems, but then again, neither will milk or water.

After reading through the comments, I can't believe how much grief I got for worrying about his "Minor" surgery. Shoulders are complex. I've seen guys go three weeks and start lifting weights again and It took me 9 months before I could get back on the bench.

My message is the same to Braxton, and JT, and the rest of the team....Adversity is just an opportunity to demonstrate your character.

But I'm no wordsmith, so I'll reference...

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”
― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Only thing I would change is the last sentence. "Beautiful people do not just happen kick the crap out of Michigan State."

A few weeks ago an article about the new lber unit used the phrase "addition by subtraction" in reference to losing RDS. I scoffed at that. I wouldn't call this addition by subtraction either but I think it forces Herman to run a more balanced offense. This team is talented. The offense has loads of playmakers. The team needs someone that can be smart, make the proper reads, and not make many mistakes. In short, the team needs a distributor. I think JT can do that competently. Brax was amazing (is, dude isn't dead and we don't know the extent of his injury), however, Brax often made incorrect reads and rarely hit receivers in stride (look at the Heisman hype video, receivers were waiting on passes). Brax had a great arm and nimble feet which more than made up for it. However, this years team is loaded with playmakers. It doesn't necessarily need a playmaker at QB just a facilitator.

The question is crunch time. When the game is on the line can JT do enough to win. Last year, we could count on Brax's legs but we couldn't count on his arm when the game was on the line. I had no faith that Brax could throw the ball down the field with accuracy in crunch time. This seemed like a skill he was improving but I think we were all hoping for a big leap this year from him.

In sum, Brax has strengths and weaknesses. A loss of a player of his caliber will certainly hurt, however, Barrett's strengths may be more in line with the team's current constitution which will lighten the blow. Of course this argument depends on Barrett being a distributor. There isn't a great body of evidence on that either way but there is cause to hope.

Thanks. I also think that Herman had a tendency to lean on Brax too much. Example: 3rd and 2 & 4th and 2 in the B1G Championship last year. This may force Herman to use some of the stockpiled playmakers. I am confident the run game will give JT every opportunity.

This is a perfect opportunity for JT. Plenty of weapons and he's been practicing with the first team all offseason. Plenty of ifs. The O-Line namely.

Remember when Braxton led the entire country in game-winning drives? I do. I'd say you can't get much more clutch than that, whether you, personally, had confidence in his ability to "throw the ball down the field with accuracy in crunch time."

That disagreement aside, I agree with you on a lot of this. Let's not forget, however, that this is the first year that Braxton would have had elite talent (outside of Carlos Hyde) at his disposal.

I don't think we necessarily disagree on this point. Lets say there was 2 minutes left and the Buckeyes were down. There was time for running and throwing and I would have confidence. However, lets say its 3rd and 10 or there is less time left and Brax had to air it out, far less confidence. I did expect him to take a leap forward in this regard because part of it was weapons, part of it was injury, and part of it was relative inexperience but Brax's accuracy the second half of last season was not pretty.

Sad to hear this about Brax, but OSU's mentality should fall in line with that of the great philosopher, Any Katzenmoyer, "At Ohio State...we reload." OSU was always going to have a tough transition after Brax, so at least now it will happen in a year when they're working in a new OLine, developing the abundant youthful talent at the skill positions, and getting younger on D. 2014 may end up being a 9-3, 10-2 type season with a New Year's Day Bowl at the end of the rainbow. Who knows, with a few bounces their way, they could still certainly win the B1G. Things could always be worse. I feel much worse for #5 missing being robbed of his final year in Scarlet and Gray, and getting a chance to lead his team to a championship. Then again, they may lead him to one...

Either way, 2014 will be a good year, and 2015 is looking like a very, VERY good year.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

But, seriously, Bosa, Holmes, Lewis, Cornell as Ends, Schutt, Carter, and Hill in the middle. They'll be just fine. And that is operating on the assumption that Spence and Washington leave. They both have a year of eligibility left.

They will be loaded with talent that gains a lot of experience this year. Just look at the depth chart. This may be one of those years like 1994, 1997, or even 2004, when you can see that there is a ton of talent, and this team is just ready to be launched on a crazy run of success. I am not sure how 2014 will pan out, probably a top 12-15 season. If Barrett starts all year, with that experience under his belt, and Herman and Meyer are still there, they're a playoff team for sure. Lock it up.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

No funeral here! We are The Ohio State University Buckeyes and we don't rebuild, we reload and I belive Urban Meyer and his coaching staff have done just that! Whether it's this year because of Miller's injury or it was next year because Miller graduated, Barrett's time was coming and I both the coaching staff and the team will work to give Barrett every oportunity lead them to the National Title Game. The defensive line is going to be one of the best if not the best in the country and hopefully the rest of the defense will be much improved. I also believe that with all the talent he has surrounding him Barrett won't have to do everything, just get the ball to them and let them do their thing! Even at the pro ranks there has been more than one QB (Ditmer, Flacco, Wilson) were all game managers more than do it all QB's. Their caoching staff pretty much said, just don't do anything to loose it for us and get to the playmakers. Patience people, we have some games to go and i think these games, before we get to the heart of the conference schedule will help Barrett get a feel for things and the coaches an oportunty to see what he can do and how much they can open up that playbook. LET'S JUST KEEP THE FAITH!

It is funny, I did go through those five stages of grief. I drew strength from an unsual source--haters, who took glee in texting me about this information (one was a weasel fan, as if we have to take any shyte from a 7-6 team that lost in the BWW bowl). All this doom and gloom is unnecessary--though I just have a feeling that Braxton has played his last football here, I will say a prayere for his speedy recovery. THe demise of Buckeye football, however, has been greatly exaggerated. Time to reload!!

While Braxton is a great QB, he is not perfect. Isn't the concern that his mid range throws need work? Aren't the pro scouts still waiting to him truly shine as a passing QB?

With all the talent at receiver, TE, and running back, why shouldn't tOSU be excited for this season? JT was a highly recruited dual threat QB. Who knows, they could play even better with JT? Maybe with some experience and confidence he becomes a better passer than Braxton? I still think the odds are better that we end up with a more well rounded offensive attack this year vs the Braxton/Hyde show of last year.

My point is, Why the hell are all these Ohio State fans throwing in the towel? I hope the players still believe they can win the Big10 and make a run at a national championship.

Maybe Braxton could come back later in the season and be used similar to how MI used Denard Robinson. Designed runs, limited throwns. I just dont see him coming back for another season, but on the same hand I just dont see him getting drafted as an NFL QB, especially with the injury / frequent injury risk. Feel bad for the kid.

Yes, I admit it, the sky was kinda grey when I got up this morning,but as the day went on the clouds have broken & the sun is starting to shine upon the ground again. I know the Bucks will be fine. I will keep a positive attitude & watch JT grow if Brax can't go on. That is all.

J.T has the the tangibles and skill sets to lead this team..... Everyone freaked out when Miller went down last yr..... Who came in and played sweet music and ran the offense like a well oiled machine??? Kenny G!!! I understand he was a 5th yr senior but J.T was right beside Miller and Guiton last yr learning. NEXT MAN UP!!

2 things: 1. Braxton isn't coming back, but best of luck to him- great buckeye 2. The games will be tight and a lot of fun to watch. JT will need some experience but he'll be more likely to rely on dispersing the ball to the playmakers, rather than being so dependent on one person.

may not go undefeated but this is going to be a really fun team to watch, against a legit schedule

2012- A relative unknown redshirt freshman stepped into the starting role at Texas A&M and won the Heisman Trophy. (Johnny Manziel)
2013- A highly touted redshirt freshman stepped into the starting role at Florida St and won the Heisman Trophy and National Championship (Jameis Winston)
2014- A former 4-Star recruit and current redshirt freshman gets the starting role at Ohio State as a result of an injury to the starting QB.
THERES ALOT OF FOOTBALL TO BE PLAYED!!! BUCKEYES DONT REBUILD, THEY RELOAD!!! There's a ton of talent on this team and the Buckeyes are still in a spot to compete for a National Championship!!! Let the Haters Hate, us TRUE BUCKEYES will be the last ones laughing!!! GO BUCKS!!!

Oden shot with his left hand when he had surgery so if you do the math technically Braxton can still throw with his left arm. All kidding aside, best wishes to this guy, as much as we are bummed, his future career is in jeopardy. Get well soon!

1. The last two Heisman trophy winners have been redshirt freshmen.
2. The last time that a new season began with a new starting QB wearing the #16, the Buckeyes went on to win the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!